


I Remember it All Too Well

by yellow_canary



Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emerald City Bar | Joe's Bar (Grey's Anatomy), F/M, Fluff, Longing, Pining, Regret, Weddings, foster kid, parenting, the pandemic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:28:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29188554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellow_canary/pseuds/yellow_canary
Summary: Alex knew from the moment he signed the divorce papers that leaving Jo and Seattle was the worst mistake of his life. As Alex works his way back to Seattle, he sees Jo again four times before she allows him back into her life.OrThe four times Alex saw Jo after their divorce, and the one time they finally got back together, plus a soft epilogue.
Relationships: Alex Karev/Izzie Stevens (mentioned), Alex Karev/Jo Wilson
Comments: 25
Kudos: 52





	1. Invisible String Tying You to Me

**Author's Note:**

> Will update weekly!

Alex was in the kitchen getting dinner ready. It was spaghetti night which means twice the mess as usual nights as he dumped the first jar of spaghetti sauce into the huge pot on the stove. 

“Here you go, Daddy,” Eli said, handing him the other jar of spaghetti sauce.

“Thanks, bud,” Alex smiled at Eli, his little co-chef tonight.

Eli ran off to get the noodles as Alex put the other jar of sauce in the pot and turned on the burner to simmer.

Izzie always went all out with the homemade sauce and everything, but Alex made a version of spaghetti sauce that he and Jo used to make. It was basically just, roasted ground beef, two different kinds of store-bought spaghetti sauce, and a dash of fresh garlic and hot pepper flakes. Izzie hated it, but the twins absolutely loved it and she wasn’t here to tell him what to do. So Daddy’s spaghetti sauce it was.

“Alex!” He heard his mother call out to him from the office down the hall. “There's something wrong with my video call!”

“Just a second mom,” Alex said as he put the can of sauce in the sink and wiped his hands. 

“Eli hold off on the noodles and don’t do anything in the kitchen until I get back,” Alex said, taking the pack of noodles from him.

“Okay,” Eli said as he scurried off to join his sister on the carpet as she played with their tablet. It was a little pre-dinner technology time and they were completely engrossed in it and didn't even notice as Alex left the room. 

He walked down the hall to the little office Helen had in the corner of the house. Ever since the pandemic started Alex had moved back to Iowa to keep an eye on his mother during the lockdown. The library had closed and Helen struggled to maintain her schedule. Having Alex there had helped as he set her up with her therapist two times a week and she was able to help the kids with their school work in place of her work at the library. It wasn’t perfect, but they made do.

Izzie wasn't with them as the two of them were fighting. Izzie was upset he wouldn't call her his girlfriend, despite their relationship and the fact that they lived and parented together. Alex tried to love her and he wanted to make it work, but he couldn't just jump all in. Izzie wanted to pick up where they left off. She wanted them to be together, so she could say she had the perfect life; a partner, and kids, and everything. However, Alex wasn't ready to fully love her like that again. Truth be told he was still in love with Jo. He needed time to let go of Jo and grieve the loss of his marriage to her. 

The pandemic had put a strain on all of that and Izzie had opted to stay back in Kansas, although she called every day to talk to the kids. As Izzie continued to work through the pandemic, Alex was left alone to parent the twins when the schools closed. Before the shutdown, Alex hadn't been able to find a job and was just subbing for the Ped’s attendings at the hospital Izzie worked at. With the quarantine that had transitioned to the occasional Zoom call consult and now he was mostly just a stay-at-home dad to the twins. 

“I had the email on the computer and I clicked the link, but then this little box popped up and asked for a password, but I've never used a password before?” Helen explained as she pointed to the computer set up on the desk for a video call with her doctor. 

She sat back in the chair and twisted her fingers as she looked up at the clock. It was five minutes past five and he could tell she was getting upset that the call hadn't gone as planned throwing off her schedule. She was going to therapy twice a week and had an extra doctor’s video appointment every other week, on Friday evenings. 

“Okay, let me see,” Alex said as he pulled up the zoom meeting on the computer. He double checked the internet settings and went back to the original email. Alex quickly read it over. It was the standard zoom email with time and place and the passcode at the bottom. Alex clicked the link and waited for it to start up. 

The Zoom started up but prompted him for the password and Alex quickly input the code and the zoom meeting connection started up on the screen.

“Thank you, Alex, but you should go,” Helen urged as she put a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back. 

Alex stepped away to give his mother her privacy, but then the video connected and a baby appeared on the screen. The baby couldn't have been more than six months old as the camera was angled to the floor so they could see the baby sitting up on a blanket surrounded by toys. The baby smiled as soon as the video started. They locked eyes with Helen and babbled excitedly before leaning towards her. The baby excitedly babbled, as they seemed to recognize Helen and she smiled as she looked at them.

“Hello, little one,” Helen said as she leaned forward and waved at the baby. “I’m so happy to see you, but where’s your Mommy?”

Alex stepped forward and smiled as he watched them interact. He wasn't surprised that the doctor put their computer on their coffee table and did Zoom meetings with their baby. They were in the middle of a pandemic and he had done the same with the twins when he consulted for a few Ped’s cases at the hospital in Kansas City. Then he recognized the couch behind the baby. It was the white couch that Jo had bought for him with his money that she won after the ping pong match. The room around the baby was the loft in Seattle.

“Hey, do you see Grandma?” Jo's sweet voice came through the line as she sat down on the floor next to the baby and picked them up before sitting them in her lap. “I was worried when you were late. I was just about to call you, but I couldn’t find my phone... Alex?” 

Alex stood there dumbfounded as they locked eyes. Jo was just as shocked to see him as he was, but only for a moment before Jo grew angry and reached forward to end the call.

“No, Josephine, please wait, he's leaving,” Helen pleaded with her but it was too late as Jo closed the laptop and ended the call.

Helen turned around and glared at him. “I told you to go.” 

“No you can't do that, you can't just tell me to leave when you've been video chatting with my ex-wife and her baby?” Alex said, he tried not to get too upset, but he couldn't help it.

Alex just stood there shocked as he thought about Jo and the baby in her lap, video chatting with his mother. This had to have been an ongoing thing as Helen had it scheduled out every other Friday for weeks. He remembered walking past the door one time and hearing baby giggles, he brushed it off as just weird feedback, but there was a baby. 

It was Jo’s baby. He didn't even know how she’s had a baby. She couldn't have been pregnant when he left because the baby was around six months old and he'd only divorce her five months and twenty-one days ago. So unless she’d given birth right after he left Seattle the baby wasn’t theirs and he’d certainly know if Jo was nine months pregnant before he left. The tally in his head of how long it had been since he left her was a constant reminder of the life he'd left behind. 

“Just because you cut Josephine out of your life doesn't mean that I have to,” Helen said, raising her voice as she twisted her fingers. “When you left she had no one, no family, I still remember the day she called me to say that you had divorced her. Instead of hearing it from you, I heard from my daughter-in-law that my son had two kids and an ex-wife in Kansas and that he was divorcing her to be with them.”

“So what, you just took her side in everything?” Alex said, getting defensive as he crossed his arms.

“I'm not on anybody's side,” Helen insisted, getting more upset. “I let you come stay with me and, I love you, Alex I do, and I love your twins, and I love being a Grandma to them, but I love having Josephine as my daughter-in-law, too. Before your divorce, Josephine and I called each other twice a month and after you left her I continued to call her, she never stopped taking my calls, unlike how you did. It's part of my routine and I'm so gracious that she still lets me be a part of her life. Her one condition was that I couldn't tell you that we were still in contact and I respected that.”

Alex sat down in the chair across from his mom as he processed the information. He didn't know anything about Jo’s life now. Meredith wouldn't tell him anything when they talk, despite how he asked occasionally. 

“I'm sorry, you're right and you have every right to keep in contact with Jo,” Alex said as Helen nodded and relaxed back into her chair. “How is she? The baby, is it hers?”

“Sort of, he’s her foster baby and she’s trying to adopt him. Josephine picked him up from the fire station after his birth parents dropped him off there and she’s been fostering him ever since. His name is Asher, he just turned six months old last week,” Helen said as she smiled and pulled out her phone, she quickly pulled up a picture of them and handed her phone to Alex. 

Jo was holding Asher and they were pressed up against each other cheek to cheek. Jo had such a wide smile across her face, one that he had seen many times when she was joyously happy and it made him smile too. They had been trying for a baby before he left and it made his heartache, despite how happy he was for her. 

“He’s really cute,” Alex said handing the phone back to his mother, but the image remained burned into his mind. 

“Yeah he's such a sweetheart too, always babbling on about something,” Helen said as she looks down at the picture. 

“Why don't you text Jo and tell her that I'm gone. I won't interrupt your video chats again, maybe she'll call back,” Alex said as he got up and went to the door.

“Thank you, Alex,” Helen said standing up and reaching to put a hand on his cheek. 

Alex just nodded and left. He went back down the hall and went back to the pot of sauce, but he couldn't get his mind off the image of Jo and Asher. He looked over at the twins. They were completely engrossed in the game they were playing. It was this water game where they had to draw a path to give water to an alligator so they could take a shower. Alexis was directing Eli's hand and trying to draw the path over him as they argued over the right path for the water. 

“Alexis let your brother create the path for the water this time, you can do the next one,” Alex said to them as he turned the heat on the spaghetti sauce down as it had started bubbling over while he was gone. “But just five more minutes guys and then I need your help to set the table.”

“Okay,” They quickly replied in sync, but didn't look up from their game.

It was easy for Alex to step back into the role of father for his twins and focus on the life he had in front of him, but he couldn't get Jo off his mind. Alex started the water for the pasta set before he got out a stack of four plates and set them on the counter where the kids could reach them. Then he walked back down the hall. Alex pressed his ear up against the door as he heard Jo and Helen talking while Asher babbled in the background. He heard Jo laugh at something that Asher did and he took in a breath as a knot formed in his chest. 

He had regretted his decision to divorce Jo from the second he sent out the papers, but he was too much of a coward to take it back now. Alex loved Alexis and Eli with every fiber of his being and he didn't regret a second of his life with them. He just wished he could go back and tell Jo about them. He wished he would have asked her to co-parent them with him. He wished he would have done all this with her, but he didn't and he couldn't take it back now. So he just stood there and he closed his eyes as he listened to her laugh. 


	2. Now I'm in Exile, Seein' You Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex goes to see Meredith in Seattle and catches a glimpse of Jo and Asher while they are staying with Meredith.

Alex stared up at the big gray house in the Queen Anne neighborhood, suddenly afraid to go up to it. It was never a feeling Alex had before, the house had always been home or at least a place that could be home. The frat house was always open to him, even when Meredith hated him, but so much had changed in the past year since he left. Meredith still called him, at first it was just to yell at him for what he’d done, but then they started talking again. However, it wasn't like it was before. 

They were still friends, but Alex could tell that Meredith was still mad at him. She told him that in the divorce, she was taking Jo’s side. That she loved Alex but, she couldn't stand how he had left Jo for Izzie. Alex couldn’t help but love Meredith even more for that because he had left Jo alone and he was glad she had Meredith. The one thing Meredith told him that Jo wasn’t mad at him for doing was leaving to be with his kids. He had left to be a father to his kids and Jo understood why, just as he knew she would. Alex loved Eli and Alexis and he didn't regret a second of his life with them. However, he did regret leaving Jo and Seattle to do it. 

Alex had screwed everything up, everything with Jo and Meredith in Seattle and everything with Izzie, Alexis, and Eli in Kansas. So here he was back at the start trying all over again to do what he should have done from the start. Things with Izzie had gone from bad to worse and they were officially separated. Alex was hoping that the week he had the kids he could have them in Seattle. He had missed Meredith and his work at Pac North. He'd missed Seattle, it felt like nothing made sense in Kansas. Seattle was his home, but it wasn't just the city that he missed. He missed his family, especially Meredith.

Alex worked up the courage to walk up and knocked on the glass of the front door. He waited until he heard Zola yell that she would get the door and smiled at the thought of seeing his niece again. The glass door swung open and there stood Zola. A year older and nearly half a head taller than he remembered her. Her jaw dropped when she saw him and she smiled.

Zola jumped up to wrap her arms around him as she hugged him. “Uncle Alex you're back! I knew you'd come back, wait you are back, right?”

“Well, I'm hoping to be?” Alex said, as she squealed and pulled him into another hug. The baby girl that he brought over from Africa with the surgery program would always have a special place in his heart.

“Good, we miss you a lot, especially Mom and Aunt Jo,” Zola said as Alex finally sat her down. 

“Really, Jo missed me too?” Alex asked, he got bits and pieces from Meredith and his mother, but they were still hesitant to tell him about Jo. Alex didn’t push it as he tried to respect her privacy. 

“Well not at first,” Zola said, going quiet and she looked back into the house through the open door. “It was Mom who missed you and me too, a whole lot!”

“Well I'm hoping to move back to Seattle and I'm looking for a place to live, you think I could be your roommate again,” Alex teased her and he put his hand on Zola's head. Something that was a little awkward as she was so tall now. 

“Yeah, you could take Aunt Maggie’s old room and Aunt Amelia and Uncle Link have moved out too, I'll go get Mom,” Zola said, excitedly running inside and leaving the door open.

Alex looked at the clear frosted door as he remembered seeing Jo dressed up as Tinkerbell on the other side. After she admitted she was wrong about his father, that was the moment he realized she wasn’t just a woman that he loved. Jo was worthy of forgiveness. Out of all the women he had ever dated Jo, was the one person who had always admitted her faults to him. In return, he did the same, and throughout their relationship together they worked to fix things whenever they messed things up.

Alex remembered opening the door on their wedding day and seeing her in curlers, waving around a piece of paper, and jumping around with excitement at the prospect of getting the Mass-Gen Fellowship. He remembered how she couldn't stop kissing him and she got so excited that she kissed Arizona as well. Alex missed her kisses and he missed the way her smile would brighten his day.

Alex lingered in the doorway for a moment staring into the house that was once his home. Although Zola had probably intended for him to wait, Alex walked into the entryway to the house. It was still the same except for a few new pieces of furniture and toys scattered around. He could hear multiple voices in the house including Meredith and Zola talking in the kitchen. Then Bailey and Ellis came running around the corner. They shrieked excitedly when they saw him. Alex bent down to pick them up, swinging them around in excitement as they laughed. 

“We missed you, Uncle Alex,” Bailey said, wrapping his arms around Alex's waist and giving him a tight squeeze as he tried to squeeze Alex’s guts out like he always did.

“I missed you too and I can see you've gotten stronger,” Alex managed to say as Bailey squeezed him too tightly.

“I miss you too, Uncle Alex,” Ellis said, giving him a kiss on his cheek. 

“I missed you too, Ellie belly,” Alex said, leaning down to kiss her head. 

“Alright let your Uncle Alex breathe,” Meredith said, putting her hand on Bailey's back. “Zola, could you take your siblings upstairs for a minute?”

“But Mom,” Zola whined, looking over at Meredith with puppy dog eyes. 

“You can come back in a second, just let me talk to Uncle Alex for a moment,” Meredith smiled at Zola and ushered her upstairs.

Alex put the kids down and they reluctantly went upstairs, giving him one last wave before they all disappeared upstairs. Meredith then pulled him into a hug for the first time in a year. The person Alex was looking forward to seeing the most was Meredith. They had been through so much together and she was a constant in his life for the past sixteen years. Meredith had always been family, she was his best friend and she was like a sister. She crawled in his bed at midnight and went on and on about her marriage and her life and her career. As much as Alex hated it, he missed it. He had no idea how he made it through the past year without her. Without Meredith, he didn't have anyone on his side. Fighting with Izzie the past year had made him realize that he needed his family, Meredith, more than anyone. Meredith pulled back and put her hands on his shoulders as she looked him over. 

“You look older, tired too, and grayer,” Meredith said as she reached up to stroke the gray strands of hair that had developed in his beard.

“Gee thanks,” Alex said, despite how he knew that it was true. The past year had been hard and his body reflected that. 

“You're welcome,” Meredith said with a laugh as she hugged him again. 

The sound of a baby excitedly screeching as they continued to loudly babble, caused Meredith to look back at the kitchen. 

“Is that Scout? Is Amelia here?” Alex asked, smiling at the thought of seeing her, Amelia was like a little sister to him and he was excited to see her too. 

Alex walked over to the kitchen before Meredith protested. He paused in the hall as he realized that it wasn't Scout babbling. Jo was standing in the kitchen with Asher who babbled she held him close to her chest and just stared at Alex. Their eyes met and he looked her over. Jo’s long and dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail that cascaded down her left shoulder. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt and she looked so good. She looked like a natural mother with Asher in her arms and he just stared at her. 

Jo had that expression on her face, her eyes were a little wide and her mouth formed a little o. It was the same expression that he had seen across her face a million times when she was a little hopeful, but a little hesitant. It was the same expression she had when she knocked on the door of Meredith's house. After DeLuca had recanted his statement and the assault charges against him were dropped. She had hugged him, clinging to him for a moment before she pulled back and walked away. Seeing her expression now, Alex knew that Jo was happy to see him, but she wasn't ready to take him back. However, it gave him hope that he could repair his relationship with her again. 

“Hi Jo,” Alex said, the words falling out of his mouth before he realized it. 

His voice seemed to break the spell she was under as Jo blinked and inhaled a shaky breath. She turned her head to look away from him and Alex could see the tears collect in her eyes. It broke his heart to see her cry and know that he had caused her pain. Jo brushed away the tears and turned around to face the sink.

“Alex, please,” Jo asked him, and she didn't need her to elaborate to know what she wanted. 

“I'm sorry, I'll go,” Alex said, turning away from her as Jo let out a sob and Asher started fussing in her arms. His presence had made her cry and Alex hung his head as he walked past Meredith who just sighed. 

“Come on, let's go talk outside on the porch swing,” Meredith said, putting a hand on his back, she glanced back at the kitchen with a worried expression, but led him back outside. 

Alex knew that coming back would mean seeing Jo again, but he never wanted to push her boundaries. He realized that it was a mistake to show up to the house unannounced, and vowed never to do it again. Meredith put an arm around Alex’s shoulders and led him over to the porch swing where he collapsed. He looked out onto the street as the Seattle rain that he had missed so much started to fall. Alex swallowed as a lump swelled up in his throat. He closed his eyes taking a second to breathe as he tried not to cry as well.

The last time he ever heard Jo’s voice was on the video call she had made to his mom. Alex could still hear how excited she was as she sat down to talk to Helen. However, the last time Jo had spoken to him was the voicemail she had sent him before he sent out the divorce papers. Jo was crying and begging him to tell her what was going on because she loved him so much that she would jump in front of a bear for him. All of her last words to him had replayed in his mind over the past year. Her last I love you, her last, I miss you, her last words pleading him to talk to her. Alex didn't know what to expect from the first time he talked to Jo, but he wasn't surprised at this. 

“Will you tell her I'm sorry, I didn't know she would be here and I wouldn't have come if I knew she was,” Alex said, finally looking over at Meredith just who nodded.

“Jo’s staying with me for a little while. Now that the adoption has been finalized, and the pandemic is mostly over she’s looking for a house for herself and Asher,” Meredith said, with a sad smile as they sat back and stared at the rain together. “She's rented the loft to Levi, as he was staying with her after you left. If I'd known you were coming I would have asked you to come at a later time while she was at work or out.”

“No, it's okay. You shouldn't make Jo leave just because I want to see you. If she’s staying with you, I won't come by again. Just tell Zola, I’ll be her roommate another time,” Alex said with a slight smile as he sat back and rocked the swing back and forth.

“Come by again?” Meredith asked as she returned his smile with one of her own. “Does that mean Zola was right, you're coming back to Seattle?”

“Yeah I am or at least I hope so. Izzie and I have 50/50 split custody of the twins, and I just couldn't stay in Kansas anymore. I had to come back. Seattle's my home, you're my home, you're my family. I want my kids to grow up with you as their Auntie Mere. I talked to Bailey this morning, she's hesitant to give me my job back, but I guess the pandemic made everyone realize the need for more hospital management. I'll still be a Peds attending, but she’s also offered me a position as her Vice-Chief. I guess it's my best option since Pac North blew up while I was gone.”

“Yeah, pretty much everything blew up after you left.”

“I'm sorry, I was an asshole to you and to Jo. I left and I know that you two had each other, but I was her husband. I promise to be there for her and I wasn't,” Alex said looking back at her from where he had been staring at the rain. “I know that when I left I hurt you two. I promised to be your person and I wasn't.”

“After you left I realized I had more people that cared about me and I had Jo. We kinda spent the whole year talking shit about you, and boy did we talk shit,” Meredith said with a laugh as she nudged his shoulder, and Alex couldn’t help but smile and laugh as well. He was an ass and he deserved all of the bad words they exchanged. “But in the past year, I've forgiven you and I missed you. I'm glad you're back.”

“Thanks, me too,” Alex said as he nudged her back and smiled. 

He turned and looked in the window that looked into the kitchen. He could see Jo smiling and holding Asher as she sang to him. The sweet lullaby barely reached his ears but he could still make out the lyrics of the song. She had Asher laying in her arms as she lulled him to sleep. Jo swayed back and forth in the way he’d seen so many mom’s sway to comfort their babies. Alex always knew that she would be an amazing mother and she seemed so utterly content with the baby in her arms. He was happy for her. All he wanted for her when he left, was for her to find happiness and it seemed like she did.

“Jo seems really happy.” 

“She is, but she’s still pretty mad at you. There's something else you should know, Jo's an OB-GYN now. I'm only telling you this because I know how often Peds and OB overlaps. She switched specialties last May and she just finished her fellowship with Carina,” Meredith explained as she also looked back at Jo with a smile. “At first I thought she was crazy to quit surgery, but she's studying fetal surgery as well, and we still work together on the mini-livers.”

“Oh wow,” Alex said, as he looked between Jo and Meredith. “And she’s happy, being an OB, it's what she wants?”

“It is and she's happy. I think she loves being an OB more than she loved general surgery, and she's such an amazing OB, Alex. She cares for her clients and their babies so much and she’s doing this amazing research on endometriosis. She took your hospital shares and started sitting in on board meetings. She’s really good with that sort of thing and we gave her an official board seat a few months ago,” Meredith said as she talked, she seemed so proud of Jo, and then she gave a little shrug. “Maybe it's better that she saw you today. That way Jo can get used to you being here and then when you two see each other at work it won't be so awkward.”

“Yeah,” Alex said with a nod and a little smile. “Maybe it is better.”

He looked back at Jo and Asher. He was looking forward to the chance to work with her again and now that she was an OB maybe he could see her more often. He wasn't sure how much she would allow him to work with her, but he’d take it slow. Alex would respect if Jo didn't want him on her cases. 

He hoped that she would at least give him the chance to explain why he divorced her and why he made the choices he made. He didn’t expect her to forgive him. He knew that he didn’t deserve her forgiveness, this time around. He knew she had a whole life without him, and Alex was happy for her. Alex left her and Jo moved on. He wouldn’t try to ruin her happiness by inserting himself into her life.


	3. In My Defense, I Have None

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex unintentionally works with Jo on one of her cases and sees her work as an OB. However, he makes the mistake of trying to flirt with her, and everything that's been boiling between them since he left comes to a head. Alex finally gives her an explanation as to why he left.

“What do we got?” Alex asked walking into the delivery room and over to the warmer where the intern had the baby. He briefly saw Carina with her back turned to him as she was still with the mom and the anesthesiologist as they took out the epidural. 

“A Newborn baby boy with a cleft palate,” the young intern, Dr. Chee said.

“And?” Alex asked, looking down at the pink baby that squirmed on the blanket.

“Umm..” Dr. Chee stuttered as he looked down at the baby and then back at him not sure what Alex was asking of him.

“The baby is oxygenating well, heart rate is normal, and APGAR scores were an 8.” 

Alex looked back at Jo dressed in pink scrubs as she looked down at the tablet and finished the chart work. Alex quickly looked back at the baby and took a deep breath as he started to assess the baby.

“Is he okay?” the mom's desperate voice asked him and Alex glanced back at her. She and her husband exchanged a worried look as they watched Alex intently. 

“He appears to be doing well,” Alex said, as he quickly checked the baby over. “What's his name?”

“Jordan.”

“Hi Jordan, I’m Dr. Alex I'm just going to take a look in your mouth real quick,” Alex said looking down at them as he put his fingers on the baby's gums and assessed the pallet. “It looks like a cleft lip, alveolus, and cleft palate.”

“Oh my god,” the dad said, sitting down into the chair next to the bed.

“It's all my fault,” the mom said as she began to sob. 

Alex glanced back at the parents not sure what to say. He was never good with parents much less crying parents.

“Hey, hey, Emily, look at me,” Jo said in that soft and calming voice that washed over them like ocean waves. “It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. I've been with you throughout this entire pregnancy and I know that you didn't do anything wrong. Sometimes birth defects just happen no matter what we do or how well we take care of ourselves while pregnant. It's not your fault, and despite this rocky start your baby is going to be just fine.”

“Really?” the dad asked, still unsure.

“Trust me, Michael,” Jo said, with a reassuring smile. “Jordan is going to be just fine and you can trust Dr. Karev too, he's the best Pediatric surgeon I've ever worked with.”

Alex had to tear his eyes away from Jo and he could hear the mom take a deep breath behind him. He quickly finished checking over Jordan and swaddled the baby. Jo had finished with the mom and she tucked the blankets around Emily. Alex brought the baby back over and sat them in Emily's arms. 

“Are you going to take him to the NICU or something,” Michael asked as he looked down at Jordan.

“Nope,” Alex said, shaking his head and putting his hands on his waist as he stepped back.

“Why not?” Emily asked in disbelief as she looked down at her baby. “Doesn’t he need to be monitored or something?”

“All of that can be done right here,” Jo assured them with a nod.

“Dr. umm... Wilson is correct, with a cleft palate one of our main concerns is feeding. Given that the gap is just in his lip and hard palate I suspect that he won't have too many issues. I’ll be around to keep an eye on him and we can see how he does. Otherwise, his prognosis looks pretty good. Will have him fitted with a palatal obturator before you leave which will fill the gap in his lips and palate until we can do surgery which usually will do around the time he’s a year old. It’s still a long journey, but for now, there's nothing we need to do.”

The parents seem to take his words in stride as they cautiously look down at their little baby. Alex thought that he should say a few more comforting words, but nothing came to him.

“So for now you just hold that baby close,” Jo said, as she moved to the end of the bed. “Get to know each other and I'll have a Lactation Consultant come by in a few minutes and we'll see how he does on the breast before we consider a bottle or tube feeds. I know how important it was for you to breastfeed and I’ll page Dr. Karev after that.” 

Alex wasn't surprised that Jo didn't directly address him and he didn't take it personally. He wasn't even supposed to be on her cases, but Hayes was in an emergency surgery and he didn't know Jo was the primary OB.

“Thank you,” Emily said looking at them. 

“Yes, thank you,” Michael said looking up at them for a second before their baby captured their attention again. 

“You're welcome,” Jo said as she beamed with a smile and Alex just smiled and nodded at the parents. He smiled at Jo too, before he remembered his place and looked away from her. 

The two of them stepped out and Alex sent the intern off to page Avery so they could get a good plan for the cleft palate in place. As he finished up the chart for baby Jordan, he lingered at the nurse’s station and watched as Jo finished her chart work. When he walked into the room he didn't recognize that it was her in the pink scrubs. Alex had never worked with Jo before and Meredith was right, Jo was amazing.

“You're really good with the parents,” Alex said, trying to seem nonchalant as he spoke. He took a chance to look up from the chart and glanced at her. Jo had paused, and she didn't look at him, but she didn't walk away either so he continued. “I was surprised when you switched specialties. I always thought that you would follow in Meredith's footsteps in the two of you would be co-heads of general surgery, but now that I've seen you work. I see why you switched, plus the pink scrubs look good on you.” 

Alex smiled as he reached over to tug the hem of her pink sleeve, but the second he touched her, she turned away and took a step back.

“Don't,” Jo said, turning to look at him, setting him with a glare that he knew better than to argue with. “Don't do that, don't flirt with me, Alex.”

“I wasn't, I was just talking...”

“No, you were flirting. I know because you’ve flirted with me for years,” Jo said, crossing her arms as she raised a single eyebrow at him. 

She was right of course, he was flirting with her. It wasn’t intentional, but it just came so naturally to him, to flirt with Jo. To sweet-talk her until she smiled and laughed and kissed him. But as he looked at her, Alex saw only anger, and he knew her anger too. Alex was all too familiar with Jo’s anger, just as much as he was familiar with her happiness. 

“You're right, I'm sorry, Jo. I just, I just wanted to be able to talk to you again,” Alex said looking over at her and watching her I soften the little at the edges before she shook her head and scoffed, turning back to the chart on her tablet.

“You don't get to do that either, Alex. You don't get to come back and just expect me to forgive you because a year has passed and we work together now. There's a reason I ask for Hayes every time I have a case that requires a Peds doctor. I don't want to work with you. I don't want to be your friend. I want you to pass me in the halls and look the other way because you left.”

Jo trailed off, she took a deep breath and Alex could hear her getting choked up and he hated himself for it. All this pain, and anger, and sadness were because of him and his decisions. 

“You left. You did the one thing, the one thing you told me you'd never do. Whenever I got squirrely or insecure about my place in your house, in your life, whenever Meredith kicked me out of our bed, when I found the goddamn papers with your and Izzie’s embryos you assured me that you’d never leave. You know I think about that night all the time, the twins would have been what, a year old by then, and we didn't even know. That night you came home and you told me you weren't going anywhere, but then you left. You made the choice between me and Izzie and you chose her and I am done being your second choice.”

Jo pushed away from the nurse's station and quickly walked away. Alex knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help but chase after her. He owed her an explanation even if it was the last thing he ever said to her. 

“I didn't choose between you and Izzie, Jo. It was never a choice between you and Izzie…”

“Yes, it was,” Jo said pausing and turning around so fast he almost ran into her. “Don't give me the crap about how it was between your kids and me. We tried for a baby the day you left. I know we hadn’t been trying for very long, but we were ready. I thought you were ready to have a family with me. I joked that I'd take the test and present you with the positive pregnancy test at the airport and you said to text you the day my period was due so we could find out together. Instead, I took that test with Meredith and she was the one who reassured me that we could try again.”

Alex’s shoulders fell as he looked down at the floor. He remembered that conversation all too well, he remembered the way that she'd climbed on top of him that morning and how she kissed him as they had sex. He remembered how she smiled when she said that she would announce it to him at the airport in front of everybody. He remembered how excited she was to be a mom and how excited he was to be a dad, but at the time he was already a dad to the twins. He remembered the sheer disappointment he felt when she texted him that she wasn’t pregnant and how he wished he was there to comfort her.

“What would you have done if I was pregnant? Who would you have chosen them? Would you have made our kid fly halfway across the country so you could co-parent with Izzie? Because you sure as hell didn't want to co-parent with me.” Jo yelled, as her anger faded into hurt as tears collected in her eyes. “Or did you just divorce me because I couldn’t give you a child?” 

“No, of course not, Jo,” Alex pleaded with her that she would believe him. 

“Really then why? Why did you leave me?” Jo cried out as her tears started to fall, but she didn’t falter, she just stood there, demanding answers to her questions.

Alex tried to answer her. There was so much he wanted to say, but it was all this big complicated mess and he didn’t know how to begin. He stood there like the fool he was with his mouth open like a fish as he tried to figure out how to explain it all to her.

Jo shook her head and wiped away her tears, “Yeah, that's what I thought.”

She turned and walked away. Alex knew he couldn’t let her go without telling her what she needed to hear, Jo deserved to know the full story and to know why he left her, despite how much he loved her. Maybe it wouldn't make things easier and it certainly wouldn't make things right. However, Jo deserved the full story, and Alex didn't want her ever thinking that he chose Izzie over her.

“Do you remember what it was like for Meredith when Derek was in DC?” Alex yelled as Jo paused in the hallway, but this time she didn't turn around to look at him. 

“I know you do because she crawled in our bed nearly every night. I remember how hard it was for her to have her life here but have her husband in DC. Meredith was a mess and every time she saw Derek they fought. For a year, they fought, and for a year, Meredith was miserable. I know that before Derek died they were working things out but I didn't know how we could work things out without going through something similar. I didn't know how to continue my marriage with you and be a father to my twins without hurting you.”

Alex walked towards her, the hallway was empty as most of the nurses and other staff must of had the good sense to stay out of their way. Jo didn't turn around and he walked forward until they were just a foot apart. Alex could hear her breathing in and out and he could smell the scent of her perfume and shampoo, lavender, and sage. It was still the same as when they were married and he remembered how the scent used to linger on his clothes. He used to love it. It was a gentle reminder of her in his life. Now his clothes just smell like his cologne and his kid’s laundry detergent because he didn't bother washing his clothes separately.

“I knew that if I tried to co-parent with you, I would be torn between Kansas and Seattle and I would have spent half my time there and half my time here. I knew that I’d tear you apart too and I loved you too much to do that to you, Jo. You had everything you’ve ever wanted in Seattle and you'd be miserable if we moved, to Kansas. I thought that you would begin to resent me because you wouldn't be my only priority, but I couldn't make Alexis and Eli my second priority after I had missed so much of their life already.”

“I knew that you would be okay because you had Meredith and Link, and I knew that you would go on, you would move on and you would do amazing things and you did. You adopted a baby and you switch specialties and you have this whole big life and career and you did it without me and I am so proud of you.”

“For what it's worth I’m sorry that I didn't give you a choice in any of this. It felt like I was holding two stones and I dropped you instead of taking the hard route and figuring out how to carry them both. So yeah, I regret leaving you. Leaving you was the worst mistake I've ever made and I will spend the rest of my life knowing that my life will never be as good as it was when I was with you. I'm a coward and I'm a runner, Jo. Even after all these years, but I'm done running and I'm trying to fix the relationships that I broke. That's why I'm back in Seattle and you were right, you made it so I could never love again, not unless it’s you.”

Alex didn't expect her to react to his declaration of love it just sort of tumbled out of his lips and he let his words hang between them. His words were messy and it probably didn't make half as much sense as it did in his head, but at least she knew everything now. Jo continued to just stand there in the hallway, her back was to him in those pink scrubs. 

The more he stared at her the more he realized how much he had overstepped with her. Alex knew he shouldn’t have tried to talk to her. He made it seem like he was trying to worm his way back into her life. That was something Paul would have done and he wasn’t Paul. Everything he did around Jo, he tried to be aware of how his actions affected her as he didn't want to hurt her.

“I'm sorry, I'll be respectful of your boundaries going forward and I'll try and make sure Hayes is on your cases as much as possible.”

Alex took a step back and then another, walking backward for a second and just watching Jo as she continued to stand there in the middle of the hallway. Then he took a deep breath, turned around, and walked away. What he didn't see was how Jo turned around and watched him go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I wasn't sure about Alex's big speech to Jo. I rewrote it and edited it a million times before I finally settled on this version. I wanted him to have an explanation that seemed reasonable and I think this kind of makes sense, but I'm not sure. I also kind of intentionally made it a little messy, because I figured Alex of all people isn't really the best at speeches, but let me know what you think of it?


	4. So I Showed up at Your Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex sees Jo at the bar with Link and Levi. As he begins to approach her, Link blocks Alex off and tells him to leave Jo alone. However, Jo is more willing to share the bar with him.

After arriving back in Seattle, the last thing Alex wanted to do was go home alone. However, this was his new normal. As it was summer he got the kids for two weeks in Seattle at a time, instead of having to fly to Kansas to see them. Alex had tried to remain cheerful and positive on the plane ride back, but the twins could sense his feelings. Although it wasn't the first time Alex had dropped them off only to go back to Seattle, the kids still didn't understand why he wasn’t going home with them. It was a tearful goodbye at the airport that had stuck in his mind the whole plane ride home. 

At least next time they would all be in Seattle together as Izzie had agreed to fly out with them in exchange for letting her have the weekend in Chehalis with her mom. Robbie Stevens had apparently been on better terms with Izzie after she left Seattle and was a decent grandma to the kids. The second Alex's plane touched down at SeaTac he seemed to be on autopilot as left the airport and drove back up to Seattle. Somehow he ended up back at the hospital, but instead of going back to work, he decided to hop across the street to Joe's Bar. 

When Alex walked into the bar he wasn’t surprised to see that it was still the same as it always was. The neon lights still hung on the walls, peanut shells still littered the floor, and the old jukebox in the corner played the same old songs. Alex quickly went over to the bar and greeted the bartender as he ordered a beer. He looked around the room and wasn't surprised that he didn't recognize anybody until his eyes landed on a booth in the corner. There sat Levi, Nico, and Link, and then he saw her. Jo sat at the booth next to Link as she smiled and talked with them while she drank. Alex stared at her for a moment and as if she could sense his eyes, Jo looked around the room and their eyes met.

Even from across the room, he could see her light brown eyes glow in the low light as she stared at him intently. They hadn't spoken since he laid out his heart to her in the hallway of the hospital a few weeks ago. Yet, as she held his gaze now he suddenly got the urge to get up and go to her. Jo's eyes pulled him in like a lasso and before he knew it, he was walking across the bar to her. 

Jo continued to stare at him. Her lips slightly parted in a look of longing as she held his gaze. He had that longing too, Alex always had a longing for her. It was the same feelings that had always drawn him to her. Jo was so similar to him, in the way they grew up, the way they ran, and their anger, but also in their humor, and the way they cared for patients. In love and in life, they were so similar and Jo understood him like no one else did. 

It was comforting, she was the one truly familiar thing at the bar and he missed just hanging out with her. He was so lonely without the twins and with Meredith working tonight, he thought he'd end up drinking alone. As he got closer to their table he saw her eyes sparkle and there was a hint of a smile on her lips. Alex was almost to her booth when suddenly Link was standing in front of him. 

“What do you think you're doing?” Link said, glaring at Alex as he crossing his arms, and raising his eyebrows at him. 

Alex seemed to step out of his daze as he looked at Lincoln and Levi who had stood up to form a wall between him and Jo. “I saw you were here and I thought I’d just come over and say hello.”

“We all know you're back, Alex,” Link said, his voice dripping with disdain. “You’ve been back for a while now and if we wanted to drink with you, we would have asked.”

“Yeah,” Levi added, although he was not the least bit intimidating.

“Can I at least talk to Jo,” Alex said, gesturing to the woman that was hidden behind them. 

“No,” Link said, taking a step forward. “You don’t get to talk to her, you don’t get to look at her, and you don’t get to just walk back into her life after everything you’ve done to her.” 

“I never expected to,” Alex said, but Link cut him off again.

“You left. This wasn't a mutual thing, where the both of you decided to break up. You left, Alex,” Link said as he loomed over Alex. “You know I trusted you. I trusted you to love her and to take care of her in the way that Jo has always deserved to be loved, but instead, you broke her heart and you left.”

“I know and I am truly sorry. I told Jo that...” Alex started to say, but Link quickly interrupted him, not even letting him get a word in edgewise. 

“Have you? Have you really taken the time to apologize, because it sure as hell doesn’t seem like you have. Jo certainly would have told me if you had. She did say that you explained it to her, but it just sounds like a lot of excuses to me. Do you know what Jo did when you left? She took the pain that you caused and she made sure that I didn't make the same mistake that you did, and walk away from Amelia. Now you're a fool for having left her and you're a fool for thinking you can come back. So you can take your sad and miserable self and walk away.”

Alex stood there and he took it. He took every word that Link said to him because he deserved it. “I know. You're right, I was a fool for leaving Jo.”

Link seemed a little surprised at Alex's words and the anger left his face. Alex was happy that Link had been there for Jo since he left. He knew Link would be of course, but he was still happy that Jo had someone to confide in and that Link looked after her.

“Link, let Alex be.” Jo’s hand on Link’s shoulder and her soft voice caught Alex’s attention again as she got up from the booth. “Look, it's late and I told the sitter I'd be home before ten.”

“You don't have to go if you don't want to,” Alex said looking at her as he caught her eye again, those amber eyes still pulling him in. It was only eight, so he knew she was lying about having to get back to the sitter and he didn’t want to make Jo more uncomfortable and he already had. “You guys are clearly having a good time here, so I'm going to go, and don't worry I won't try and talk to you at the bar again.”

Alex turned away before Jo grabbed his arm. “Alex wait.”

It was the first time they had touched and it felt so familiar and natural. Alex turned around and looked at her as Jo realized she was still holding his arm. She looked down at her hand before she dropped it. Jo’s hand left an invisible impression on his arm and he could still feel the weight of her fingers on his sweater. He remembered how she felt in his arms when he held her and he missed her weight in his arms and in his heart.

Jo looked down before she looked back up at him and held his gaze. “You don't have to go. We don't own the bar, I mean, I technically own part of the hospital and I didn't kick you out of there, so you can stay. If you want to. I'll make sure the boys, don't bother you anymore.”

“I wasn't bothering him. If anything he was...” Link started to say, but Jo shut him up with a glare. 

“No it's okay, I should be getting home anyway. I've got early morning rounds with the residence and I need to be awake so I can remember all their names and stuff,” Alex said, with a nod trying to convince himself just as much as he was trying to convince her.

“Okay,” Jo said with a nod of her own before she sat back down. 

Alex had to tear himself away from her as he turned around and walked back to the bar. He quickly paid for his drink and left. As Alex opened the door to walk up the stairs, he glanced back and saw that Jo was still staring at him. As their eyes met, Jo gave him a soft smile and he easily returned her smile. Jo quickly ducked her head and looked back at Link as they talked and Alex sighed. 

Just that simple smile was enough to send his heart to the clouds. Even after all these years, Jo still made him feel like he did when he was first fell in love with her. Alex adored Jo. Her simple smile had made his heart beat faster, and for now, that smile was enough.

* * *

“You didn't have to do that you know,” Jo said to Link after Levi and Nico went to the bathroom to make out and she knew they probably wouldn't be back anytime soon. “You don't have to go full on big brother mode and protect me from Alex.”

“I know, but I wanted to, Jo. The way he left you was not okay and I know that you've forgiven him, or you're in the process of doing so, but you can't just give him a free pass without making him do the work to repair the damage he did.”

“I'm not just giving him a free pass,” Jo said with a shake of her head as she looked up at the door despite how Alex had left a few minutes ago. “Look, I know Alex. I was married to him. I know the way he thinks and why he's doing what he’s doing now. Plus, it’s my decision to forgive him or not and I can make my own decisions.”

“I know, you're right and I'm sorry,” Link said looking down at his drink. 

“It's okay,” Jo said, nudging him with her shoulder and leaning against him. “I don't need you to be my big brother, but I appreciate that you still are.”

“Anytime,” Link said, putting his arm around her shoulders and leaning his head against hers. “You'll always be my annoying little sister.” 

“Um, annoying? Excuse you, I am a pleasure to be around, I'm pretty sure your parents like me better than they like you,” Jo scoffed as she sat back with a laugh.

“That is annoyingly true,” Link said with a shake at his head. “I can't believe how much they adore you.”

Jo laughed as she remembered the cancerversary dinner she had attended with Amelia and Link a few months ago. She got a text from her babysitter the teenager down the street named Elsie, saying that Asher had gone down for the night, along with an adorable picture of him asleep in his crib. Jo sighed at the photo and showed it to Link. She missed her baby and was ready to go home for the night. 

Link offered her a ride home and they texted Levi and Nico a goodbye as they were still in the bathroom together. Link dropped her off at Meredith's, before driving up the street to the house he and Amelia had bought. It had been a few months since her own house hunt had started and she still hadn't found a house. Every place she looked at was either too big or too small. She had told her real estate agent that she wanted a three bedroom house, but everything she saw just seemed too small. Jo didn't know what the future held, and she wanted a place that would be her’s permanently. 

Jo walked into the house and let herself in through the side door, by the stairs. Meredith’s kids were still up, and she quickly said hello to them. She paid Elise and sent her home before she headed upstairs. Meredith's kids had their own nanny, but four kids was a little too much for her. So Jo always asked Elise, to watch Asher whenever she wanted a night out.

Jo quietly opened the door to her room, leaving the lights off, and crept over to the crib in the corner. Asher must have woken up as when she peered into the crib, he looked up at her and smiled. He was holding the knitted lion that Grandma Helen had sent out to him and kicked off the blankets.

“Mama,” Asher cooed and reached up for her as Jo leaned down to pick him up. Every time he called her mama, her heart swelled with love for her son. 

“Hello my sweet boy,” Jo said cuddling him close. 

She grabbed the blanket and put it around him as she walked over to sit in the rocking chair. Jo cuddled Asher closer as he laid his head on her shoulder and she rocked back and forth. Within a few moments, his big brown eyes were fluttering close as she kissed his head. In the dark and peaceful night, Jo took a moment to watch her son sleep in her arms. 

At almost a year old he was starting to lose his baby fat as he grew taller each day. He still had the full head of dark hair that grew out so fast she could hardly keep up. She had let it grow out past his neck in an effort to only have to cut it once a month. When Jo picked him up from the fire station she had fallen a little bit in love with him. She and Alex were trying at the time and Jo was ready to be a mother. After Alex left she had made the impulsive decisions to foster and low and behold Asher needed a placement. She had said yes in an instant and they had been a family ever since. 

Jo was happy with Asher and being a single mom, but she wanted to love again. Her friends with benefits relationship with Jackson had been the first step and she’d gone on a few dates, but nothing felt right. Now that Alex was back, it brought up a whole mess of mixed feelings she wasn't sure she was ready for, but a part of her wondered, what if. 

Certainly, things couldn't go back to the way they were before, but there was a part of her that would always be in love with Alex Karev. Jo wasn't sure if she was ready to be in a relationship with him again, despite how she had forgiven him. However, Jo had made up her mind. She was ready to talk to Alex again and she was curious as to how things would develop from there. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, what's going to happen next? As if I don't already know. 😉


	5. Whispers Of ‘Are you sure?’

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jo and Alex’s eyes meet across the hall at a wedding reception. The heat between them reaches a boiling point as they finally get back together and later discuss how they want to repair their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, heads up before you begin reading this that there has been a change to the ratings, to Teen And Up Audiences for reference to and implied sex.

Alex looked around the reception hall as Maggie and Winston’s wedding came to a close. The bride and groom were completely enraptured with each other. As the party fizzled out around them, they just kept on dancing. He was happy that Maggie and Winston felt comfortable having him and his kids at their wedding. Eli and Alexis had played with Meredith’s kids and the rest of the Grey-Sloan kids the entire night. While Alex had sat at a table with Meredith and Hayes as they all conversed warmly. 

As the kids wound down Alexis, Eli, and Bailey laid on the floor watching the tablet and falling asleep on each other, until Alexis crawled in his lap. Alex smiled at her and put his arms around her as he held his daughter. Alexis wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her little head on his shoulder.

“Are you ready for bed, sweet girl?” Alex asked, as he rubbed her back and held her close.

“No,” Alexis mumbled, clearly exhausted and Alex knew that her eyes were closed. 

“Alright, I think we’re ready to head up for the night?” Meredith said appearing next to him with Ellis in her arms and Zola training behind her, the only one who was still fully awake. 

“Mom can’t I stay down here with Austin and Liam?” Zola asked as Hayes and the boys appeared next to them.

“Sorry Zola, these two are headed up as well,” Cormac said, subtly putting his arm on Meredith’s back.

The two of them thought that no one would notice when they started dating, but it was currently the worst kept secret at the hospital. Alex was happy for Meredith, and she and Hayes were good together.

“We don’t have to go to bed once we get up there, do we?” Austin asked as he grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair.

“I don’t want to go to bed either,” Zola said as she grabbed the basket she had used for the flowers.

“How about this?” Meredith said to her. “Since you’re the only one awake and you’re older now, I think it would be okay if you and the boys put on a movie after you help us get everything upstairs?”

“Deal!” Zola instantly agreed as she reached down to grab the tablet from Eli and Bailey.

“Come on boys,” Alex said as the boys slowly got up half-asleep. 

Liam and Austin agreed and they all helped to put away their plates and cleared the table. Grabbing stray jackets, and purses, and the little mint chocolate wedding favors Maggie and Winston had put out.

“Did you have a good time buddy?” Alex asked Eli, as he put his hand on his son’s back Eli leaned into him and gripped his dress shirt while they walked. 

“Yeah, can we hang out with Bailey, and Zola, and Ellis all the time?” Eli’s sleepy voice whispered up to him as he looked up at Alex with big brown eyes. 

“I don’t know about all the time, but how would you like to have a sleepover with them tonight?”

“Un huh,” Eli said as he leaned into Alex further. 

Alex paused and leaned down, shifting Alexis to one arm as he picked up Eli. The one thing he learned about having twins was that what he did with one child he needed to do with the other. Sometimes that meant carrying two sleepy six-year-olds at once. Luckily for Alex, he had always been strong enough to carry them both. It was something he relished doing when he could as they were getting a bit old to be carried around and he had missed out on carrying them around when they were babies. Eli sighed in his arms and Alex could tell that he would be asleep by the time they got back to the hotel room.

As part of the wedding package, Alex, Meredith, and Amelia had a three room suite that made the wedded festivities with six kids easier. They put all of the little kids down in Meredith’s room and she said she’d take the extra queen in his room. Alex quickly got his kids changed into pajamas. They woke up again but quickly fell back asleep as he tucked them into the bed next to Bailey and Ellis, with the rollaway left empty for Zola.

True to her word, Zola helped them put her siblings to bed, before going out into the main room where Hayes and the boys were picking out a movie. Alex walked out into the main room, just in time to see Amelia and Link come in. Amelia was carrying Scout and Link had Asher as the boys held hands.

“Did you two steal an extra baby?” Meredith asked in delight as she walked over and put her hand on Asher’s back as he smiled at her.

“No,” Link said and he and Amelia paused. “These two threw a fit when we tried to separate them, so Jo said we could take him up and she’ll come to collect him later.”

“Well that’s not a problem, is it Asher?” Meredith said with a smile as she helped Link and Amelia put the boys down in their room.

Alex smiled as he watched Asher lay his head on Link’s shoulder, fighting sleep as they disappeared into the room. He settled on the couch next to Zola as they scanned through the movies before Meredith came over and tapped on his shoulder.

“Hey I think I forgot my purse downstairs could you please go grab it, it’s at the bar,” Meredith said with a smile as she bit her lip. 

“Yeah, no problem,” Alex said, getting up as Meredith took his place next to Zola.

He quickly rushed downstairs and went over to the bar to ask the bartender if he had Meredith’s purse. The bartender nodded and handed him the blue clutch that Meredith had and Alex took a second to look around the room before he went back up. The party was still in full swing and quite a few couples including Maggie and Winston were still dancing.

As he looked around again he caught sight of Jo as she sat at a table sipping the last of her wine and people watching like he was. All night he had been trying not to stare at her, but he couldn’t help the way his eyes were drawn to her. Jo had even caught his eyes halfway through the reception and smiled at him, which only encouraged him. Alex blamed his staring on the alcohol and the fact that the twins were down for the night in the hotel room upstairs. Jo was the most beautiful woman in the room, although he would never say that aloud, lest he offend Maggie. 

She just looked so gorgeous in that little black dress. Alex was reminded of the way she looked at Bailey’s wedding all those years ago. She always wore black to weddings. It was a simple neutral color that fitted her so well. The short dress hugged to her hips with an open back and v-neck that allowed for ample cleavage. Her brown hair fell in loose curls and her dark mascara and eyeliner made her brown eyes pop. 

He couldn’t help but imagine what Jo looked like without her dress on. It had been a full year since they had slept together and lord knows that his body had changed. Alex felt older, there were wrinkles around his eyes and more gray hairs on his head and beard, but Jo was still the same beautiful woman that he remembered. 

Jo caught him staring and Alex took in a breath as she held his gaze. Ever since things had become more amicable between them, the two of them had exchanged lust filled looks. It was only a matter of time before the heat between them reached a boiling point. As she looked over at him, she had hot and heavy eyes. It was the same way they used to stare at each other across the halls of the hospital. That look of lust sent them to the nearest room with a lock so they could tear each other’s clothes off. His body craved her. Alex missed her, more than anything, but he decided to stay where he was and see what Jo would do. He wanted things to be on her terms. 

Jo licked her lips, they were wet and swollen and he could almost taste her lips on his tongue. Something made her bold and she walked over to him. She took a step towards him, and then another. The closer she got the more he could remember the way her hair felt as he ran his fingers through it. He remembered how his scruff felt against her soft skin and the way her lips lingered on his neck. He remembered the way his hands held her waist and how her arms wrapped around his neck. He missed the weight and the warmth of her body on top of him. 

Jo took another step forward until they were only inches apart and he inhaled the sweet scent of her perfume. It was still the same one that he had gotten for her last minute on their first anniversary, but she had loved it. Since then, it had become her signature scent. Alex was surprised she still used it, but then again he still wore the same cologne that she always bought for him. 

Jo stared into his eyes as they stood only inches apart from each other. They were so close, yet so far away. Alex rubbed his hands on his suit pants in a desperate attempt to keep them from her waist. He waited for her to make the first move. If anything was going to happen between them, he wanted Jo to decide what it was. 

Jo put her hands on his shoulders, running them up to his neck and tilting her head before she moved to trace her fingers down his chest. The ache in his soul that he had for her was like a pain in his chest that had been torturing him from the moment he stepped on the plane to leave Seattle. A piece of him was missing, but the second she touched him he felt whole again. 

Alex thought she would kiss him then, but instead, Jo grabbed his tie and pulled him out of the reception hall. He followed her like a lovesick puppy. Alex knew he had a stupid infatuated smile on his face as he jogged to keep up with her. His eyes were glued to the open back of her dress and he put a hand on her back, feeling her bare skin under his hand as he moved to walk next to her. 

As soon as they were out in the hall Jo let go and pushed him up against the wall. Her hands are on his face, but for a second Jo just stared at him. Her brown eyes were wide and so full of love and lust, but she hesitated for a moment. All Alex could do was watch her and wait. Then, she tilted her head, closed her eyes, and slowly brought her lips forward as she kissed him. At first, it was just a peck, as if she was testing the waters, but then her lips met his in a frenzy. It was desperate and full of lust, and Alex loved it.

It was the kiss that he had been longing for since he got back. It took a second for him to react, but then he realized that it wasn’t a dream. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. It was the kiss Jo used to give him when she wanted him to make love to her all night long. She couldn’t seem to get enough of his lips and she just kept kissing him over and over. They would only pull back to breathe before they dived back in.

The moment their lips touched Alex found himself falling down the rabbit hole and into her love. Jo wrapped her arms around his neck just like she used too and Alex put his hand on her waist and pulled her close. Her body still felt the same, so soft and warm as his fingers brushed against the bare skin of her back. Jo melted into their kiss and Alex moaned as he tasted her lips. She tasted like the lipstick that she always wore for special occasions and the Chardonnay that she had been drinking. 

Their hands seemed desperate to touch each other and to relearn each other’s bodies. Her body was still so much the same and yet so new to him. Alex trailed his hands up to tangle in her hair as they kissed before he moved them back to her shoulders. Alex moved down around to her chest as Jo pushed herself into his hands. Jo moved her hands down to his chest as well, undoing the buttons on his dress shirt. Her fingers seemed desperate for his bare skin and the second she touched his chest, she sighed into his lips.

Jo pulled back suddenly and Alex looked into Jo’s eyes, they were filled with lust. Her pupils were blown so wide he could barely see the honey brown of her irises. Jo’s face was flushed and the red blush continued down her neck. Her hair was a wild mess from where his fingers were tangled in it. He figured he didn’t look any better and he could tell his hair was sticking out and his shirt was undone from where her fingers were still on his chest. 

They heard laughing coming from inside the hall and Alex looked around the hallway. They were alone, but just behind the door, they could hear the other people talking at the reception. Now that it was later in the evening, there was bound to be more people headed their way. Besides, Alex didn’t want his first time with Jo in over a year to be in the hallway of a hotel. He wanted to lay her down on a bed and see her body and all its glory before he worshiped her. 

“My room is empty. Asher’s upstairs with Link and Amelia,” Jo said as she dug her fingers into his lapel.

“Wait, Jo are you sure?” Alex said staring into her eyes and seeing her blown pupils. He knew she had been drinking and he had too, but he wanted to be sure.

“I’m more sure of doing this than I was kissing you the first time,” Jo said looking into his eyes as her lust had given way to a soft gaze.

“The twins are asleep with Meredith’s kids in our shared suite,” Alex said, still staring into Jo’s eyes.

The fire lit between them again and Jo nodded with a smirk as she pulled him away with her. Instead of just letting her drag him along, Alex grabbed her hips and walked beside her. As they headed towards the elevators, Jo giggled as he leaned in to nip at her earlobe. They kissed the entire way to her hotel room and Jo kept fumbling with her key card as Alex held her hips against his and kissed her neck.

Jo’s room was a simple one bed hotel room, but Alex couldn’t tell you anything more about it as they went straight to the bed. Alex closed his eyes as he kissed Jo, she pushed him backward until his legs hit the mattress and she pushed him back as he fell. Alex pulled Jo down with him, his arms wrapped around her waist, and his fingers digging into the skin of her back. Then Jo pulled away, she leaned back and stood up as he got up on his elbows to watch her. They both stared at each other for a moment and Alex was still breathing heavily from their kissing and their run up to the hotel room. 

As they continued to stare at each other for a moment he wondered if she would ask him to leave. Alex sat up and folded his hands as he looked at her. Jo took a single step forward in between his legs and put her hands on his neck. She held his head and Alex’s hands went to her hips, gently holding her. Jo tilted her head to the side as she leaned down, but she didn’t kiss him just yet. Instead, she stared into his eyes as if they held all of the answers in the world. In reality, Alex didn’t know anything other than that he was sitting there in her hotel room and she had a hesitant look across her face. 

“I slept with Jackson,” Jo admitted and Alex’s head shot up as he looked at her. Jo looked down at her hands and she chewed on her lip before she continued. “It was after the divorce when I was still waiting to get approved to be a foster parent. I was trying to figure out how to be single again and I didn’t know how to have sex with anyone who wasn’t you, so I asked Jackson to help me. It was only supposed to be a one-time thing, but we ended up being friends-with-benefits for a few months. However, I haven’t slept with anyone since, well since you got back.”

“That’s good,” Alex just nodded, he wasn’t sure what to think about it, but he was okay with it. “I’m glad he was there for you.” 

Jo let out a full laugh as she placed her hands on his shoulders. “You’re glad?”

“What?” Alex said he wasn’t sure how to react to the news that Jo had sex with someone else, but he didn’t expect Jo to laugh either.

“I don’t know,” Jo said, as she continued to giggle. “I guess it’s just weird. You and I were together for eight years. Other than that time with Schmitt, I have only been with you for eight years. And then I tell you I've been with someone else and then I don't know, I thought you'd be jealous or mad.”

“I slept with Izzie so I'm not really in a position to judge you,” Alex blurted out as Jo suddenly grew quiet. He looked down at his hands on her waist because he couldn’t bear to see the look of betrayal that would be across her face, but e couldn’t do this without her knowing. “She kissed me before the divorce was finalized, but we didn’t start sleeping together until I got word that you had filed the divorce papers. I lied in the letter, I didn’t leave you because I loved Izzie, I didn’t love her at all. I thought I could, but I didn’t, but she was there and she wanted me and we were trying to be a family and I don’t know, it was stupid. We slept together for a while until the pandemic started, but we haven’t slept together since then.”

Looking back, Alex wasn’t even sure why he had tried to be with Izzie at all. He thought he did it because they were trying to be a family and make things work between them, but things quickly fizzled out. He wasn’t in love with her. Izzie wasn’t Jo, he didn’t love her like he loved Jo, like he lusted for Jo. Alex was in love with Jo and he had been for the past nine years. He loved her because Jo didn’t try to mold him into a good man or the perfect father, she loved him just as he was. Jo made him feel secure and loved more than anyone else and Alex wanted Jo now because he loved her.

“When I read your letter, I figured you were already sleeping with her. So I’m glad it didn’t start until after our divorce. I hate that you were with Izzie and that you cheated on me, by kissing her,” Jo said running her hands up to hold his face and tilted his head up to look at her. “But I forgive you, Alex, and I’m ready to start over with you.”

“If it makes you feel better, I pretty much broke down when she kissed me and the first time we had sex,” Alex said, mortified as he remembered how he had burst into tears as he realized what he was actually doing and how much he missed Jo.

“Oh God, I did the same thing,” Jo said, putting her hand over her mouth. “I pretty much snotted in Jackson’s mouth as we started making out and then I cried on his couch for the rest of the night.”

“You did?” Alex asked with a little laugh, relieved that he wasn’t the only one who had trouble moving on.

“Yes I just, I thought I was ready, but I wasn’t and the second he didn’t kiss me like you did I just cried,” Jo said, shaking her head. 

“Izzie didn’t hold me like you did. She didn’t wrap her arms around my neck like you did,” Alex said as he pulled her close and Jo wrapped her arms around his neck the way she always did. 

“Like that?”

“Yes,” Alex whispered and sighed into her touch as she leaned in to almost kiss him. “Jo, are you sure you want to have sex with me?”

Jo looked up from his lips to his eyes and glanced at him with more clarity. She suddenly softened with a smile and closed her eyes as she leaned down and finally whispered to him. “Yes.”

* * *

They laid together as they recovered from their tryst. Jo laid her cheeks on his chest as Alex wrapped his arms around her. He ran his fingers through her hair, as he pulled it to the side, lest it get trapped between their sweaty bodies. Jo seemed to relax and almost melted into his arms. They let themselves lay together for a little while as their hearts slowed down and their breathing even out. Alex looked down at Jo in his arms once again as she closed her eyes she seemed completely content. She must have felt his eyes as she picked up her head and smiled at him before he tilted her chin up to kiss her again.

However, they couldn’t lay there forever and fall asleep in each other’s arms like they used to. Alex got up and started the cleanup, he got a warm rag and brought it over to her. In the past when Jo tried to walk right after, she would stumble around like a baby deer, and as cute as it was, he’d rather let her rest. He went into the bathroom and got cleaned up and washed his hands before he walked back over to her. 

Jo was still lying in bed and she gave him a lazy smile when she caught his eyes and Alex couldn’t help but stare at her. He got back in bed and crawled over to her as he laid down next to her. Alex looked down at Jo next to him as she smiled and he reached out to pick up her hand. He pulled it up to kiss her palm, he couldn’t help the way his lips needed to be on her skin. The touch of affection was warmly received as Jo hummed and rolled over to cuddle against his chest, putting one leg over his legs.

“I missed you so much, every night I slept without you in Kansas I just tossed and turned,” Alex said as he put one arm around her shoulders and held her close. 

Jo laid her head on his chest as her fingers danced across his skin. “I didn’t sleep in our bed for a month after you left. I just slept on the couch, because although it still held memories of you, the bed was just too big and empty. I missed you so much, Alex.”

Alex leaned in and kissed her again before he pulled back and let himself hover only inches away from her lips. “I won’t go anywhere if you don’t want me to.”

Jo closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she pulled away to sit up. “I want you back in my bed and I want to love you, Alex, I do, but.”

It was a desperate whisper that flowed from Jo’s lips, and it seemed like she truly wanted to be with him again.

“But you don’t trust me,” Alex said, as he laid back and watched her close her eyes and nod. “If you let me, I can be a man you can trust to love you and not abandon you. I made that mistake once and I won’t do it again. I want the opportunity to prove that to you and earn back your trust.”

“It’s just that, we had just gotten married again, we were trying for a baby and you just left. I get why you did it, but it was so easy for you,” Jo said, the painful expression across her face was one that grabbed his heart and squeezed it. “I love you, and I want to trust you again, but I don’t know how, at least not yet.”

Alex nodded as he took in her words. “Not yet, that’s not never?” 

Jo looked back at him, from where she was fidgeting with her fingers. “Not never.”

“Can we try dating or can I at least see you regularly?” Alex asked, tilting his head as he looked into her eyes. “I love you, Jo, and I want the chance to love you, if you’ll let me.”

Jo looked away, staring at the abstract painting on the wall. Alex watched as her shoulders rose and fell as she took a deep breath before looking back at him with a nod. 

“Okay.”

Out of everything that Jo had ever done for him, this was the one thing that surprised him the most. After everything he put her through she was willing to let him back into her life. Jo laid back down and put her hands around his neck as she pulled him in to kiss her. Alex happily kissed her lips again. He never wanted to stop kissing her, but she pulled away. 

“But that’s going to start with us taking things slow. We can still sleep together, but you need to go back to your own room tonight,” Jo said, with a smile as she sat up and got out of bed.

“You’re right, we need to do this right and take things slow,” Alex said, with a nod as he got up as well. “It’s not just us anymore we have kids. You have your son and I have my twins. We need to make sure that they’re comfortable with us being together too.”

Jo smiled and Alex dipped his head as he smiled too. She did walk around like a baby deer as she grabbed a pair of sweats from her suitcase. Alex slowly gathered his boxers and the pieces of his suit. His eyes lingered on her as he watched Jo as she walked around and got dressed. Alex smiled to himself knowing that this wasn’t the last time he would get to see her. 

“Speaking of the children,” Jo said as she pulled her hair out of the collar of the sweatshirt she pulled on. “I should go get Asher, he’s not used to being away from me overnight and I’m sure your kids miss you too.”

“Yeah, the twins are slowly getting used to Meredith and everyone else but I don’t think they’d be comfortable if they woke up without me there.” Alex nodded as he buttoned up his shirt again. 

The two of them shared a smile, before Jo disappeared into the bathroom and he finished getting dressed. They were parents now and it was strange, but it came so naturally to them. There was still a hint of regret that they weren’t parenting together, but perhaps that could change. He glanced at his reflection in the mirror and he still looked a little disheveled. Jo came out of the bathroom and smiled as she reached up to run her still wet fingers through his hair. The water smoothed away the tufts of hair she had made stick up earlier and the gesture made Alex smile. It was so easy and natural for her to do. It made him forget that she hadn’t fixed his hair in a year. 

Alex grabbed Meredith’s clutch and walked towards the door before looking back at Jo who had grabbed a baby blanket and had followed him to the entryway. Suddenly they both realized they were going to the exact same room, at the exact same time. All of their friends would know they had slept together especially considering that Alex promised he would only be a few minutes, but instead more than an hour had passed.

“Why don’t I go up ahead of you and then you can come in a few minutes. I love Meredith, but I think she’d never let it go if she found out we’d slept together,” Alex said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Meredith hadn’t always been Jo’s number one fan, but a year before their wedding that changed. Ever since Alex returned to Seattle, she had been urging him to make things right with Jo. And by make things right, she hinted that they should get back together. Her not-so-subtle hints were something Alex had been ignoring in favor of waiting for Jo to decide how she wanted to interact with him. He would probably never hear the end of it if Meredith knew she was right.

“Yeah, that’s probably for the best and I should warm up a bottle for Asher. He can’t go back down without it,” Jo said with a nod as she went back to the kitchenette and pulled out a bottle and formula.

“Yeah, the baby days,” Alex said, with a smile as he watched Jo make the bottle. 

Jo looked up and caught his eye before she returned his smile with a soft smile of her own. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you never got that with the twins.”

“You’re not the one who has to apologize for that Jo,” Alex said and he reached out and filled up the bottle with water while Jo measured out the formula. “Besides, I’m happy that I’m in their lives now.” 

“Yeah, I watched you with them this evening. I remember you let Eli eat the rest of your baked potato when I know it’s your favorite and you danced with Alexis as she stood on your toes. You looked so happy with your kids and I was so happy that you got the chance to be in their lives.”

“I saw you with Asher too. You were holding him as you swayed back and forth and danced with him. You always have such a wonderful smile when you’re looking at him and I’m glad you have a family too, Jo.”

Jo was standing there, next to him at the kitchenette with a baby blanket over her shoulder, shaking the bottle in her hand as she prepped the bottle warmer. It was everything Alex had ever envisioned when he imagined what it would have been like to have a baby with Jo. Seeing her with her baby was all of those dreams come true, the one piece that was missing was him. He wanted Jo in his life and in his kid’s lives too, he wanted to meet Asher as well and he wanted the five of them to be a family.

Alex wanted to do what he should have done from the beginning and be a father to Alexis and Eli with Jo by his side. He wanted Alexis and Eli to get to know Jo, and for her to be a part of their lives. He wanted to meet Asher and be a part of his life too. He wanted them to be a family.

Alex wanted to go to the park with Jo and the kids. He wanted to sit in the sandbox and build sandcastles with Asher and Jo would push Eli on the swings while Alexis moved between the two of them, never able to decide where she wanted to be. He wanted waffle Sundays with Jo, both of them in their pajamas as he made the waffles and she made them coffee and chocolate milk for the kids. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and kiss her in their home with their children around them. He wanted his life with Jo and he knew that it wouldn’t happen in an instant, but he knew where to start. 

“Do you want to like, go out Saturday or something?” Alex asked fumbling over his words, he was so nervous because he wanted this so bad.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Jo said, a light blush appearing across her cheeks as she looked down and focused on putting the bottle in the warmer.

“Good, I’ll talk to you Monday and we can schedule something,” Alex said with a nod as he tried to keep his excitement inside, but he just couldn’t hide the smile that spread across his face

“Yeah, sounds good,” Jo agreed, sharing his smile as she finally looked up at him. 

Alex couldn’t help how he was already head over heels in love with her again. He had always been in love with her and he was so happy to have the chance to love her again.

Alex went up to the hotel room and wasn’t surprised when Zola snapped at him for taking so long, but Meredith just gave him a knowing smile, especially when Jo came up a few minutes later to get Asher. However, neither she nor anyone else said anything about his disappearance.

Alex watched her cradle the sleepy baby in her arms and get him settled with the bottle. He loved watching Jo with Asher. Sometimes he’d find himself walking by the daycare at lunchtime, just to try and catch a glimpse of them. Just before she left Jo caught his eye and smiled at him. Alex couldn’t hide the smile that stretched across his face visible for everyone to see. 

He was so grateful that Jo was even given him the chance to see her again and he was over the moon about what happened tonight. She had kissed him, they had slept together, and she was going to let him date her. Alex knew that it was going to take a lot to rebuild their relationship. But, he was determined to do everything he could to prove to Jo that he was worthy of her trust.

* * *

The vomit never seemed to end as Jo leaned over the toilet and produced the bile that was left in her stomach. She had been feeling nauseous and had thrown up a few times in the past few days, but she seemed to get the worst of it today. This morning she had woken up and had to make a mad dash for the toilet down the hall and she hadn’t stopped throwing up since. Suddenly she heard Asher cry and tried to get up, but she was dizzy and nauseous and she had to sit back down before she dry heaved again. 

“Aunt Jo, Asher’s crying,” Zola said as she came into the bathroom, but lingered by the door, hesitant to get near her.

“I know Zola, can you get your om please, and ask her to pick up Asher for me?” Jo said, leaning against the toilet bowl.

“Okay,” Zola said quickly leaving the bathroom.

Jo listened to Zola knock on Meredith’s door. Meredith got up and Jo let out a sigh as Meredith got Asher and his cries stopped. Jo closed her eyes and laid her head on her arm.

“Hey Zola said you were puking your guts up and you look pretty disgusting,” Meredith said as she appeared in the doorway with Asher on her hip. 

Jo just groaned and looked up at Meredith. She hated being sick, especially knowing that it wouldn’t end anytime soon, but at least it seemed to end for now.

“Mama,” Asher said, leaning out to her.

Jo smiled and reached out for him as Meredith brought him over. However, before Meredith could even put him in her arms she got a whiff of his dirty diaper and leaned over to dry heave in the toilet. Asher fussed when Meredith didn’t put him in Jo’s arms and Meredith tried to settle him. Jo pulled back after she finished heaving, but knew she couldn’t take him right now. 

“Can you change him and get him settled,” Jo asked as she sat back against the wall. “I’ll be fine soon, I just need a minute.” 

“Yeah of course, do you want some meds or something? Whatever you’ve got it looks pretty bad. Is Asher sick too because if not I’ll take him to the daycare for you so you can stay home and rest?” Meredith offered soothing Asher as he fussed still leaning out to Jo.

“I don’t need a day to rest, I just need a few minutes,” Jo said, she knew from how things have been the past few days that once she got her stomach settled she would be fine, until sometime around lunch.

Jo cursed the universe for getting her into this position. Of all the crazy and stupid, things she had ever done this had to be the top one. She was frustrated and nervous and excited all at the same time. She loved Alex, but this was something else. They had been dating for the past month and a half and he was working to rebuild her trust. They were taking it slow, but things were about to go from 0 to 60 in an instant. They hadn’t even met each other’s kids yet and Jo wasn’t sure about her place in his life. 

“Jo if you’re sick it’s no big deal, you can take a day to rest,” Meredith said, setting her with a look. “I’m pretty sure all of your patients would appreciate you not getting them and their newborns sick.”

“I’m not sick,” Jo insisted, looking over at Meredith. She wasn’t sure about telling her, but it would all come out eventually and she needed Meredith’s help. Especially as, regardless of how she and Alex were still working things out, she had decided to keep it. “I’m pregnant and Alex is the father.”

Jo watched as Meredith’s jaw dropped in shock. It was pretty much the same expression Jo had on her face when she got her blood work back a few days ago. Alex Karev had gotten her pregnant and now Jo was having a baby with her ex-husband. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised a soft epilogue and I do intend to make good on that, but I couldn't resist the urge to add another baby to this. I can promise it will go over well and there will be a happy ending.


End file.
